8.18.07 – (LAA) – Returning Furloughed FAs, NBC Announces Names of Those Who Submitted WTS, Customs

This is Leslie Mayo, National Communications Coordinator, with the APFA Hotline for Saturday, August 18, 2007.

As we announced earlier this week, AA has issued recall letters to the 460 senior-most furloughed flight attendants on the recall list. APFA is hopeful, and will continue to attempt to persuade AA that staffing is sparse and we need all of our furloughs back. The more FAs we have on the line, the more movement there will be throughout the system in the way of proffers and transfers – and especially with regard to Reserve seniority.

The first group of returning furloughed FAs will report to one of four bases – BOS, DCA, LGA and ORD on November 13, and the 2nd group of returning furloughed FAs will report to base on December 18. Please join APFA in welcoming our fellow FAs back to the line.

Details of this recall are available on APFA’s Web site in the RECALL section. You will also find current bidsheets to get a better idea of the flying at these bases.

We will update the Web site throughout this process to ensure our recalled Flight Attendants have the information they need to return to work.

On Wednesday, the National Ballot Committee (NBC) Chair announced the names of those who submitted WTS notifications for the elected portion of the APFA Negotiating Team. Three candidates for International and three candidates for Domestic will be elected by the membership to join the appointed members of the APFA Negotiating Team and the Team Chairperson – APFA President Tommie Hutto-Blake. Ballots will be mailed to your homes on September 4, 2007, and are due back in the designated PO boxes by October 4, 2007, at 9:00 a.m. If you have any questions or concerns about these elections, please contact the NBC at 817.540.0108, ext. 8311.

The candidates for International Negotiator are Ray Baylis, Steven Ellis, Neil Fernandez, Kevin Johnson, Russ Kidwell, Becky Kroll, Ricardo Melchor Jr., Jon Murden, Elizabeth Lee Price and Richard Ross.

The candidates for Domestic Negotiator are Robert Applegate, Valerie Cochrane, Dixie Daniels, Diana Dunn, Judy Henderson, Anna Johnson, Jeree Last, Samuel Morales and Travis Pfahler.

A few reminders from last week’s Hotline: If you are asked by management to provide a written statement in reference to any situation that could result in discipline to you or to another AA employee, please contact APFA immediately. If you are not able to locate a union rep at that moment, inform management personnel that you are requesting APFA representation prior to submitting any written statement.

Also, it is important for crewmembers to properly declare all items when clearing Customs. If you purchased an item in the U.S. that could be questioned as having been brought in from out of the country, carry your receipt with you as proof that it is not, in fact, a new purchase. Be aware of all food items you are allowed to bring into the U.S. and if you question whether itís okay to import, ask any U.S. Customs official for clarification.

Don’t forget to visit APFA.org and click on the following links to contact Congress about the Extension of Recall Rights, Family Leave for Crewmembers and OSHA Protection for Flight Attendants:

• Extend Recall Rights for Furloughed AA FAs – July 20, 2007
• Family Medical Leave for Crewmembers – June 21, 2007
• OSHA Protection for Flight Attendants – May 31, 2007

Remember that after this recall we will have 1,609 Flight Attendants still waiting to be recalled!

That’s it for this week. Thank you for calling the APFA Hotline.